1 month ago
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(NewsNation) — Aides to President Joe Biden privately discussed whether helium would request a wheelchair if helium won reelection, according to a caller book.
The book, written by CNN's Jake Tapper and Axios' Alex Thompson, comes retired aboriginal this period and Axios archetypal reported the story astir the concerns implicit Biden's carnal deterioration.
The erstwhile president's declining wellness and spinal degeneration successful 2023 and 2024 were truthful terrible that aides feared helium mightiness request a wheelchair, adjacent arsenic they attempted to conceal the world of his information during the election.
While utilizing a wheelchair oregon immoderate different mobility assistance doesn't mean a idiosyncratic is suffering from mental deterioration, aides believed that Biden utilizing a wheelchair during the run would harm him politically.
Biden's locomotion had go halting, and his doctor, Kevin O'Connor, warned that if helium had different atrocious fall, a wheelchair could beryllium indispensable for his recovery.
After Biden tripped implicit a sandbag astatine the Air Force Academy successful the summertime of 2023, aides reportedly began taking steps to debar different incident.
Those included figuring retired shorter walking paths, utilizing handrails for steps to the signifier astatine appearances, accrued briefings truthful helium knew precisely what steps helium was expected to instrumentality and having him deterioration sneakers much often.
According to the authors, Biden's doc had expressed concerns implicit the effect the presidency was having connected Biden's health, arguing with governmental officials to let much clip for Biden to rest and saying the president's unit were trying to termination him.
When questioned by reporters, Biden aides repeatedly said his locomotion was the effect of a fractured ft successful 2020 and his refusal to consistently usage a walking footwear portion helium healed.
But O'Connor had antecedently said that Biden's ankle had healed wholly arsenic expected. In his nationalist statements connected the president's health, helium attributed the alteration successful Biden's gait to mild post-fracture arthritis and important spinal arthritis.
Biden's property became a front-and-center contented aft his show astatine a presidential debate, which led to unit for him to resign from the race.
After 3 weeks of nationalist and backstage pressure, Biden yet did bow out, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris arsenic the nominee.
When asked astir the book, Axios reported that a Biden spokesperson emphasized that immoderate carnal wellness changes the president experienced were not grounds of mental incapacity and said the president had been transparent astir his issues
